Heidi Ryder Photography: The Blog » engagement

Thanks For A Great 2011!

Heidi — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:39:42 +0000

When I think about this past year, I start to get pretty emotional. Calling it amazing would be a serious understatement. I’ve been privileged enough to be a part of many amazing weddings this year and have gotten to know the best couples whom I proudly consider friends. This job just keeps getting better and better, and it’s because of my wonderful clients that this is so.

I hope you all are reading this and know how much I appreciate you and how grateful I am to have been included in your wedding days. I look forward to capturing many more of life’s amazing moments for you in the years to come!

I’ve put together a slideshow of some of my favorite images from the past year’s weddings and engagement sessions. Hope you enjoy.

Happy New Year! Here’s to a great 2012…

Emily + Perry = Engaged!

Heidi — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:23:16 +0000

Life is unexpected. We all know this. But Emily and Perry had an extra dose of the unexpected a few months ago when they where hit by a drunk driver while riding their motorcycle. It was a terrible accident that left both Emily and Perry in the hospital. They’re both lucky to be alive, but the fact is even the worst type of unexpected that life threw at them could not derail their love and commitment to each other.

I’ve actually known Emily since she was super young. She’s my best friend’s little cousin so this shoot was kind of surreal to me! It was beautiful to see the two of them together, so full of love for each other. I’m so happy these two found each other and that they’re safe, healthy and together.

Congratulations, Emily and Perry!

Janelle + Dan = Engaged!

Heidi — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:04:08 +0000

Before I sign off for the rest of the week to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and friends, I wanted to put up a new post of a recent engagement session that I love. I got to hang out with Janelle and Dan at the Viceroy in Santa Monica, a place I’ve always wanted to shoot in but haven’t had the chance to until this shoot. It was worth the wait!

At the start of the shoot, Janelle and Dan told me they were a little anxious about having their photos taken. I can say with certainty that they could have fooled me, because these two seemed as comfortable as can be in front of my camera. Though, I’m sure the fact that I just made them stare into each others’ eyes while cuddling the whole had something to do with it. Love can do that to a couple.

After we rocked it out at the Viceroy we headed to the Santa Monica Pier, which happens to be the site of their first official date. Perfect!

Bubba Gump was where they ate dinner, so it had to get its own little shout-out during the session.

Thanks so much for being so awesome, Janelle and Dan! Seriously cannot wait for your wedding next year!

Lori + Tyler = Engaged!

Heidi — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:50:16 +0000

Lori and Tyler are getting married next year in Maui (jealous!). And while I’m not their wedding photographer, I was so glad to be able to spend an afternoon with them capturing some fun images to celebrate their engagement. They already had a vision in mind and we started the shoot off at the Planes of Fame Museum, a place I’ve shot at a few times before. I’ll never get tired looking at the very cool vintage planes there. They make a great backdrop for photos!

Lori and Tyler are both super into fitness (Lori was even in a fitness video), so they really wanted to show this side of their relationship in photos. The couple who works out together, stays together. Or so I’ve been told!

Before the sun started to set, we grabbed a few more with Lori’s cute bike. These two are just adorable together!

Congratulations, Lori and Tyler!

Nicole + Elan = Engaged!

Heidi — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:05:20 +0000

Nicole and Elan live right in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles in a beautiful old building that has been wonderfully restored as part of the Downtown revival that’s been happening in the past five years or so. When Nicole contacted me about shooting their engagement session, we threw some ideas around, had one that didn’t pan out, but ultimately settled on the area next to their home. I was so glad we did because the three of us got the chance to wander around the city together and I got to know this super sweet couple a little more.

Nicole found me through her friend, Rachel, whose Long Beach engagement session I shot a couple of years ago (Hi, Rachel and Ryan!). And, in another crazy example of how small the world is, it turned out that Elan went to school with another past bride of mine, Jennifer. You may remember Jennifer and Joe from their Maravilla Gardens wedding. I love when stuff like that happens – reminds me just how intertwined we all are.

Thanks so much for showing me around your neighborhood, Nicole and Elan!

Cindy + Shiang = Engaged!

Heidi — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:40:09 +0000

When Cindy and Shiang first met a few years ago, nothing much happened. The meeting was brief as they just happened to be in the same place at the same time because they knew some mutual people. But the following weekend they ran into each other at a club and Shiang finally took the opportunity to exchange numbers with the cutie that had caught his eye twice now. Over the course of the next several weeks, Shiang and Cindy would chat on the phone for hours getting to know each other. Shiang eventually asked her out on a date. Or what he thought was a date. In Cindy’s mind, Shiang was just a new friend and their dinner-and-a-movie evening was completely platonic. It never even crossed her mind that Shiang might have feelings for her. But he did. And he eventually told her as much and asked her to be his girlfriend. And Cindy shot him down. But the heart wants what it wants, and Shiang chose to listen. He asked again and this time Cindy accepted.

After their engagement session, Shiang and Cindy took me to the restaurant where that first date-but-not-a-date happened. As they recounted the story of how they met and the subsequent hurdles Shiang jumped through to get them to this point, I could tell that Cindy was so glad Shiang was persistent. She found her best friend and soul mate and they both couldn’t be happier. They’re an adorable couple and they’re getting married on St. Patrick’s Day next year! I’m so excited to be a part of it. Thanks for a fun afternoon, Cindy and Shiang!

We started off at Fosselman’s ice cream, a popular local shop near where Cindy and Shiang both grew up.

These two are total Gleeks and they wanted to have fun with that for their session. Can you tell these two have been to a Glee concert, or two?!

And what afternoon would be complete without a Hello Kitty picnic?

Camille + Matt = Engaged!

Heidi — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:47:36 +0000

The first time I “met” Camille and Matt was over the phone. We chatted about my shooting style, possible locations for their engagement session and scheduled their shoot at a local museum and Venice Canals. When I met them at the main entrance for the museum I was delighted to find a sweet and adorable couple waiting for me to point my camera at them. That equals a pretty excellent day in my book!

These two were a little nervous since they hadn’t really been in front of a camera before, but they were complete naturals. All it took was for me to get them to stare into each other’s eyes and the magic began to happen. I love the simplicity and easy going vibe of this shoot. No props, no frills, just these two and their love. Thanks for hanging out with me for a few hours, Camille and Matt. I had a blast!

Candace + Justin = Engaged!

Heidi — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:52:17 +0000

Candace and Justin are getting married in New Orleans and wanted their engagement session in a nature setting, but they also wanted a bit of festiveness thrown in as an homage to the town they’ll tie the knot in. The world “festive” made me immediately think of confetti and the beads they throw around during Mardis Gras. As luck would have it, my intern Liz remembered that her aunt had a giant box full of Mardis Gras beads and she was kind enough to let us borrow them for the shoot! Add a sprinkle of colorful paper confetti, an absolutely beautiful couple, and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous session that I’m excited to share.

Congratulations, Candace and Justin! I know your wedding is going to be amazing and fun, just like the two of you! Here’s just a few of my favorites…

Veronica + Jessie = Engaged!

Heidi — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:38:16 +0000

When I first met Veronica and Jessie to talk about their wedding, I did something only I could do; I told them to meet me at one café and showed up to an entirely different one. It was only three minutes into a phone conversation where Vee was trying to figure out what side of the café I was on that we both realized I was at the wrong place! I felt like such an idiot, but Veronica and Jessie just laughed it off and said they would totally wait for me at the correct café. I couldn’t have felt more foolish, but as soon as I finally got to sit with these two face-to-face, my embarrassment turned to ease and I knew immediately that I wanted to shoot this couple’s wedding. You can imagine my excitement when I heard later that I would get to!

That was over a year ago and I finally got to spend some more time with this adorable duo for their engagement session a couple of weeks ago. I even showed up at the right place this time! We met at Birds, their favorite restaurant in Hollywood, and used the restaurant and the surrounding shots as our backdrops. Then, we hopped into Jessie’s awesome vintage BMW and whipped through the city for more shots with the car before finally settling at Angel’s Knoll (otherwise known as the park from 500 Days of Summer). I had so much fun with these two and their amazing wedding is quickly approaching in June. Vee has been blogging about their wedding planning journey on Weddingbee and I can’t wait to photograph the yummy details they have planned. It’s gonna be a good one, ya’ll!

Jessie brought a couple of vintage cameras from his very own collection. I loved this because I’m a big proponent of only using props in a session if they actually mean something to you!

Niecy + Jay = Engaged!

Heidi — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:36:28 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you probably know by now that I am lucky enough to be the photographer for Niecy Nash and Jay Tucker’s wedding. Well, their big day is tomorrow so I thought it was high time I posted their engagement photos!

The first time I ever spoke with Niecy, she told me that the thing that drew her to my work was the fact that all of the couples seemed to be happy and having a great time. She told me that she and Jay laughed together pretty much all of the time (not surprising), and she wanted to capture that side of their relationship in their engagement photos. I was completely on board with this idea.

I met Jay for the first time on the day of the session and I am here to tell you that he and Niecy are the perfect match. So in love and kind. It was an absolute pleasure photographing them and I can’t wait for tomorrow! Speaking of tomorrow, this wedding will be televised! Be sure to tune into TLC on June 4th at 8:00pm to watch Niecy Nash’s Wedding Bash! Maybe you’ll see me in action.